On April 5, the Calgary chapter event was hosted by IBM Canada in their new District Ventures and IBM Innovation Space, a collaborative initiative with District Ventures. We had an opportunity to meet and learn directly from Dino Trevisani, President of IBM Canada, both why and how IBM is investing in innovation. We experienced one of their early tenants – Endeavor Technologies Corp. who had their drilling simulator on display.
The DV and IBM Innovation Space in Calgary is an important part of IBM Canada’s growing and deliberate innovation initiatives that span the country. Mr. Trevisani described his very passionate belief that it is no longer acceptable for Canadian entrepreneurs to leave the country to pursue their innovation activities. We need to transform Canada’s attitude and resources to enable our innate innovation culture. Through their initiatives like the Innovation Space, IBM Canada is bringing their global presence, resources, and discipline forward to address this challenge.
One key message from the discussion was that “keeping the lights on” is no longer the minimum “table stakes to stay in the game.” Our real challenge is to exploit the unique opportunity that CIOs have to contribute at the business strategy table. In order to succeed globally, Canadian organizations must rise to the challenge. CIOs have both a role and a responsibility to pursue this challenge.
